With less than a week to the start of the 14th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) has plunged into a crisis with a player and another team member testing positive of the coronavirus. Delhi Capitals allrounder Axar Patel has tested positive after reaching Mumbai to join the squad despite a negative report on March 28 and subsequently testing positive in the second test taken. He has been going through a medical care facility.
In a statement regarding the same, the Delhi-based franchise said, “Axar Patel had checked into the team hotel in Mumbai on March 28, 2021, with a negative report. His report from the second COVID test came positive. He is currently in isolation at a designated medical care facility. The Delhi Capitals medical team is in constant touch with Axar and ensuring his safety and well-being. We wish him a speedy recovery.”
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A member of the Chennai Super Kings contingent has been tested positive as well and has subsequently been put under isolation. As per the reports of Cricbuzz, CSK CEO Kasi Viswanathan confirmed and said that the individual was not in contact with the players or the support staff and was isolated on a different floor even before returning a positive result on his Covid-19 test.
Even as the franchises were grappling with the potential threat from the virus, 8 groundsmen of the Wankhede Stadium also failed the test. A Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) source has denied the reports, saying the groundstaff have subsequently come negative but the situation in Mumbai, which will be hosting 10 matches in the first fortnight of the season
Talking about the same one of the officials of the franchises said, “We have not heard anything from the BCCI about any change in plans. We are regularly speaking to the Board officials. With less than a week left, it is now a situation from there can be no going back. It is difficult to shift to a new city, manage so many sanitized hotel rooms and restart all over.”
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Four franchises – Chennai Super Kings, Kings XI Punjab, Delhi Capitals, and Rajasthan Royals – have their bases in Mumbai for the first leg of the league.
